Faithful gather, stopping all stations

For a couple of hours on Friday the meek inherited, if not the earth, at least the streets of Melbourne, as about 3000 Christians turned out to join the annual Stations of the Cross walk around the city churches.

Bathed in delicate autumn sunshine, Melbourne was on its best behaviour and so were the pilgrims, who combined a cheerful optimism with quiet and reflective devotion.

This was the procession's 12th year, a moving oasis of calm amid the city activity that does not cease even on Good Friday, although nearly everything is shut.

Organised by Melbourne City Churches in Action, and called ''an ecumenical devotion'', the procession draws from city and suburbs worshippers of every race, colour and denomination, if not creed.

A child is the only one who spots Age photographer Mal Fairclough up above during the Easter Service at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church. Photo: Mal Fairclough

On the most sacred day of the Christian calendar, many spoke of enjoying the unity, of coming together to mark their faith in a broader community than the usual Sunday.

''We are just sharing something significant in our lives,'' said Ronnie, a Catholic from Airport West, who was making the pilgrimage for the third time with her twins, aged six.

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Diana Hodgens, 82, an Anglican from St Peter's Eastern Hill, travelled in a motorised contraption with a canopy and a large pannier at the back, looking more like a Ford Model T than a wheelchair. ''I think it's a beautiful thing to do on Good Friday. It's a very important day, but this makes you feel you are doing something glad.''

Florian, a Lutheran, brought his wife Averiel and children Jessica, 9, Sophie, 6, and Ben, 1, with Jessica hitching a ride on Ben's pram. On their first procession, Florian said: ''It's a different way to worship.''

At each station, the pilgrims paused for a Bible reading, reflection and prayer. They brought to the attention of the Almighty those deserted by friends, those tempted to violence, pimps and traffickers, people ''crowned with success but not with happiness'', among many others.

Melbourne's Lebanese community also turned out in force for their third service of the day, some 2000 overflowing Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church for a flower-laden ''funeral service for Jesus''.

In this annual Good Friday service, parishioners bring flowers for Jesus, preferably from their own garden. Then, at the end of the service, the young men whose feet were washed in the Maundy Thursday service the previous evening carry a large cross laden with flowers around the church yard, preceded by young women carrying flowers.

The afternoon service, in Arabic and English, was led by five priests and monks clad in black and gold. Monsignor Joseph Takchi, the parish priest, told the worshippers: ''We remember Jesus is buried and we await his resurrection, and this is a sign of hope to us. The cross becomes for us the tree of life.''